Reckless Serenade
by Abbykinz813
Summary: We separated after getting through the next wall, the four of us humans waking up in my house, the trolls nowhere to be found. And after almost six years, there he was, standing in the rain with as deadly a glare as ever. Temporary hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I had quite a few people who reviewed on my oneshot which was previously called Reckless Serenade, which revolved around a similar situation, and can be found here - fanfiction .net/s/7538283/1/Reckless_Serenade_01 . So I decided 'hey, why not make it a story?' Though I kind of don't like how I did the oneshot, so things are kind of a lot different this time around. I'm not sure of how many chapters or any specific details, but I'll try to keep things coming at a steady pace. For now, enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

It had been five years since the game. After the scratch and narrowly making it out before everything reset, we had lost all contact with the trolls. They were never on Pesterchum, and no matter how many offline messages were sent, none were answered. Dave, Rose, Jade, and I decided that it was best we all move to a new state and start over. After all, we didn't really have anything to go back to. Our houses would be empty, constant reminders of those precious to us we had lost. So with what little money and supplies we had, we managed to get out to Colorado and rent a small apartment to share. It was crowded the first two months, the four of us alternating between the two beds, couch, and recliner. Instant mac n cheese and ramen became breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and we all worked full-time at our respected jobs: Dave at a music store in the mall, Jade at the grocery store, and Rose and I worked at a book store only a few blocks from our apartment.

After four months had passed, Rose got her own apartment on the level below us. At month six, Jade announced that she would be moving out to the apartment complex about half an hour away. Dave was the last to leave, moving into the open room only a few doors down. It was kind of sad, watching us gradually drift from each other to begin our own lives. We had lost so much in the game, and even though we had spent the last five years in foster care, we were only now rebuilding our lives. But even though we weren't in the same small apartment together, or talking nearly every day on Pesterchum, we never stopped being friends. I still saw Dave every morning getting the mail, not to mention we spent half our weeks together, Rose still worked at the bookstore, and Jade would call to check up every few days.

It was November 11th, and a rather cold morning. Dave always complained about my refusal to turn the heater up more than a few degrees, but hey, warm air cost a lot of money, and if saving meant having to deal with a chilly house, then so be it.

The alarm next to my bed beeped angrily at six AM, and as usual, I groaned and smacked my hand around the nightstand until I found the snooze button. I had set up a system to waking myself up in the mornings, you see. I had been using it for years, and it has never failed since. Seeing as my initial reaction to waking up at ungodly hours of the morning is to go back to sleep, I gradually wake myself up. The snooze button will go off every five minutes until six thirty, when I will finally be ready to get over myself and climb out of bed.

And at six thirty that Friday morning, that is exactly what I did. Sure, maybe it didn't help with my mood, but at least I wouldn't be late for work. So, grumbling the entire time, I made my way to the kitchen to start brewing some coffee and then the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day ahead.

By the time I was done and dressed the coffee pot beeped to signal it was ready, and I gratefully poured the scorching brown drink into a portable container and added a generous amount of creamer, and then some milk for good measure. I could never stand the taste of coffee unless it had so much creamer it could hardly be called coffee, and the flavors had to be sweet; like caramel macchiato or Italian sweet cream. Today's choice was the last bit of the Italian sweet cream, much to my dismay. I'd have to remember to pick some more up when I went grocery shopping that weekend.

After breakfast (which consisted of a slice of toast and my coffee) I made my way out of my apartment and down the stairs to the mailroom. That placed sucked horribly to be, all tiny and cramped with the little cubbies lining one wall. Thankfully only Dave and an older woman were in there.

"Morning Dave! Get anything exciting this morning?" I asked, hopping over next to him as soon as I got my mail.

"Hey I don't know, lets take a look: bills, bills, college crap, bills, and… an add for face cream." He said in his usual deadpan voice, staring blankly through his sunglasses. I had a love-hate relationship with those things, because even though it warmed my heart that he wore them every day, he wore them _every single day_. And – in a totally non-homosexual way – Dave's eyes were gorgeous. They stood out so much compared to his pale blonde hair and even paler skin, yet he was never seen without them on. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen him without them.

"Guess that's a no, then." I grinned, shuffling through my own mail, which looked similar to his. It was mostly bills and worthless adds, nothing worth getting excited over. "Hey, wanna meet up for lunch today?"

"I don't know John, I'm a busy guy. Lots of things to do, people to please." There was a long pause, in which the lady with us gathered her things and left, and Dave's hand smacked against my back. "But I'll see if I can squeeze you in."

"I'd be honored if you could make time for a lowly commoner like me, oh prince of cool." I said, bowing slightly, my grin growing wider.

He let out an exaggerated sigh, leading me out of the tiny mailroom and into the more open hallway. "The price I pay for royalty."

"Well, if you're so busy today, your majesty, don't let me keep you waiting."

"Don't you have work to get to?" he called over his shoulder, heading back towards the elevator.

I glanced down at my watch, grimacing. I was supposed to be there at nine and it was already a quarter till. "Crap, right! See you later Dave!" I yelled, running back up the stairs as fast as I could to get my coat, coffee, and shoes before running all the way back and out the door.

Rose greeted me at ten that morning, setting her coat behind the counter. "Morning, John."

"Good morning to you too, Rose! How's school treating you?" I smiled widely, tapping my fingers on the wood. The bookstore was hardly ever busy, especially towards the earlier hours. Only two people had purchased anything since I had arrived an hour ago, and no one had appeared since.

"Beautifully. Whoever said it was impossible to juggle a full-time job and college at the same time was horribly mistaken." She said, her voice sharp as she removed her had and made sure that no strand of hair was out of place. How she could tell without a mirror was beyond me.

"That bad, huh?" I grinned sheepishly.

"I'll survive." She shrugged.

"Just don't push yourself too hard. I'd hate for all your hard work to go to waste – you'll make a wonderful psychiatrist once you get your degree."

"Yes, well, we can only hope. But thanks for the compliment."

"Anytime, Rose."

A short, stubby elderly woman appeared at the register, ending our conversation when she cleared her throat.

"Hello! Can I help you, miss?" I smiled brightly, standing up straight. Rose scoffed and attached her nametag before wandering off to do whatever needed doing around the store.

"Yes, please, I put a book on hold a few days ago." She said, her voice rough and squeaky and absolutely adorable for an old woman.

"Alright, if I could just get your last name I'll look it up for you." I said, opening the correct page on the extremely outdated computer, but who was I to judge when I was using a chunky old laptop I found at a garage sale?

"Garret." She said, prodding through her purse as she spoke.

"Lisa Garret?" I asked for clarification, even though that was the only entry.

"That's the one." She smiled, her face wrinkling up more than it already was.

"Alright, just let me find it…" I said, turning to find the book that was listed. Thankfully it was right on the second shelf, and after ringing her up and handing back the change, I waved goodbye with a 'have a nice day'. And so the cycle began.

Working at a bookstore was actually pretty fun. All different kinds of people were there for all different kinds of things. It was rare nowadays to see adults and elderly mixed with toddlers and teenagers all come to the same place but for different things. Though of course that also meant the occasional douche-nozzle who thought books were a joke. It took all of my self-control not to start yelling and instead politely inform them that if they were not respectful that they would have to leave the store.

By noon my stomach was growling and I was thankful that it was finally time for my break. Dave had called the store from a payphone minutes ago, telling me to meet up at the sub shop just down the street and he would be in the bench on the right. And, after quickly yanking on my coat and making sure someone was manning the register before bolting down to the restaurant, Dave was true to his word, sitting in the very first bench on the right.

"Hey, sorry for the wait." I said, shrugging off my coat as I slid into the seat across from him.

"Don't get too comfy." He said, standing up to get in line.

I followed after him, taking our place in line behind a very talkative couple. Once our subs were made and we were sitting across form each other in the brightly colored, leather bench, our lunch consisted of halfhearted arguments and idle chatter. The wind smacked us in the face like a dagger every time the door opened, and the floor underneath was sticky, but at that moment I was completely content with my life.

At twelve forty-two we parted ways, Dave hopping on his bright red bicycle, complete with ironic tassels and a horn on the right, and rode off quickly back towards the mall while I stuffed my hands in my pockets, burying my face in my collar and turned the opposite direction to head back to the book store.

The rest of the afternoon was spent arranging books and putting them away in their respective places, sectioned by topic and arranged alphabetically by author's last name. The job was easy work, and if I was lucky, sometimes a cute girl would be in need of assistance in looking for a certain book here or there, though most of the people that shopped here weren't really my type, I guess. All these years and I still hadn't nailed a single girlfriend.

It was around six thirty when the rain started. Slow at first, just a drizzle to add to the already chilling temperatures. But then it really started acting up. Rose appeared next to me, both of us staring out the window with books in our arms and a begrudging look on our faces. "Did you walk here too?" I sighed.

"Yup."

"No umbrella?"

"Nope."

I shrugged my shoulders, letting out another sigh. "Well, at least the apartment isn't that far. Maybe we can catch a taxi together."

"I'm getting off at seven, since I have a night class." She said, sending me a slightly apologetic face.

"Right, college." I grinned. "Hey but we should all get together for a movie or something soon. I can't remember the last time I saw everyone at the same time."

"That's a good idea. And soon we'll have to figure out what to do for thanksgiving." She said, gently stuffing a book into its place on the shelf behind us.

"That's right! Wow that's in a few weeks, isn't it? Man time is going by really fast."

"John, are you ever going to go to college?" she asked, raising an eyebrow my way.

I thought for a moment, scrunching my eyebrows together. "Well, right now I can't afford it. You got a scholarship in high school, so you're set, but I've barely got enough money to keep me going as it is. So maybe later I might. I mean I don't even really know what I would want to do with a degree anyway, so it would be pointless to go now."

Rose nodded slowly, and after seeming to accept that answer, excused herself to finish putting away books. I continued with my book stacking as well until seven, when Rose left with a wave, and then switched to working register until nine. There were two other people who worked with us, but they all had about twenty years on us, and weren't all that polite, so I was pretty much alone for the rest of my shift.

Once it was a few minutes past nine and the last person had left the store, I got to work cleaning up. It wasn't part of my job, and I was technically off at nine, but the other workers always left right away and I felt bad leaving the place without helping the owner, who usually got stuck cleaning up after everything. I had come in multiple times at opening to find him sweeping the floors, having to stop often to catch his breath and stretch his back. So I started staying late, sweeping up, throwing away trash, and putting any stray books back.

It was kind of eerie, being in the store at night. The lights were dimmed and everything was silent, the rain outside the only thing to break the quiet. Sadly it had only gotten worse as the evening went on, hitting the windows with great force.

In the middle of my sweeping in the back of the store I heard what sounded like a fist on glass, making me jump about ten feet in the air. "Probably just a bird…" I told myself, remembering the number of birds that had flown straight at a window and scared the crap out of me. But then there were two more bangs, and then four.

I gulped, setting the broom against the wall and inching towards the door. I peered out, glancing back and forth quickly before slowly pulling open the door. A person in a black hoodie stood in the middle of the sidewalk, a few feet away from the door. A hood covered their face, hands stuffed in their pockets and a deep frown on what little of their face I could see. They were about a foot shorter than myself, and completely soaked from the rain.

"U-um, I'm sorry, the store is closed." I said hesitantly, keeping the door opened only slightly.

"I'm fucking freezing my ass off out here and I've been looking all over the gog damn world for you. Let me in." he snarled, a strange growl escaping from their throat.

"I'm sorry, I think you've got the wrong-" but then I saw him. His head raised to glare at me, skin a pale grey and what should have been the whites of his eyes were a piercing yellow, the irises pitch black. "Oh my god. Karkat?"

"No shit! God you're so fucking stupid, Egbert. Now are you going to let me in or not?"

"I-I can't believe this. What are you doing here?" I asked, stepping out of the shelter of the door.

"Here's an idea, why don't you ask questions once I'm inside and _dry?"_ he growled.

"Um, well actually it's against store policy to let people in after hours, but come in for a second and I'll get my things and we can go to my apartment." I left the door open for him to follow, running back behind the counter to pull on my coat and other late autumn/winter wear, my mind racing.

This was crazy. It was Karkat. It was actually Karkat. I had talked to him so much throughout the game, and at the end, we all met up on Jade's ship, and then… nothing. We separated after getting through the next wall, the four of us humans waking up in my house, the trolls nowhere to be found. And after almost six years, there he was, standing in the rain with as deadly a glare as ever.

After getting all of my things and once again pulling Karkat out the door, locking it behind me, I wasted no time tailing down a taxi to get us to my apartment. My hair was damp from just the short amount of time I was out in the rain, but I had no idea how long Karkat had been out there. From the looks of it, it was a long time.

We reached the building in less than five minutes, and once we buzzed in and reached my room, Karkat was off. And by that I mean he was yelling and yelling and yelling. I ran around the small apartment, finding a fresh pair of clothes and my smallest pair of pants (which were still a bit big for him), a towel, and finally started cooking some ramen on the stove. All the while Karkat went on about the game and how he and the trolls had gotten separated, or at least he did, and hadn't heard from them for over a year, and where fuck were you John Egbert I swear to gog I went looking all over your shitty Washington state and you weren't even there.

"I'm sorry, we started there but after we graduated high school we figured it would be best to move somewhere else." I said, blowing on the bowl of noodles to try and cool it down. "If we had known that you guys were here we would have went looking for you, but we hardly ever had a computer and when we did you were never online."

"I don't even know if any of the others are on this shitty planet." He growled, examining the ramen suspiciously before scooping a large spoonful and stuffing the whole thing in his mouth. "Last one I talked to was Gamzee, and he wasn't any fucking help. Just went on about miracles and how it was fucking beautiful that we got out alive, even if we were separated."

"Well he does have a point. We would have lost everything if we didn't get out in time." I sighed.

"Yeah, well, it would have been nice if he would have answered my fucking questions and told me where he was."

"Hehe, yeah I guess you're right. But… how are you Karkat? I mean that might be stupid question, but it's been like, what, five and a half years?" The troll, much like the others and myself, had grown a considerable amount since then. Karkat was taller, though still not as tall as John, his eyes turning a more maroon than black now that he was getting older, and all forms of baby fat had vanished. His horns, though still nubby as they were, were longer, jutting out more. He was, dare I say, awfully handsome for a male alien troll. On human standards, at least. I still wasn't sure what exactly trolls found attractive. Wait… why was I even thinking about that?

"Egbert." Karkat snapped, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Ah, uh, yeah?"

"Ugh, I forgot you were a total space-case." He said, rolling his eyes. "I said that I'm fine, if you don't count the five freaking earth years I spent running around your sorry excuse for a planet."

"I'm really sorry you went through all that trouble."

"No use complaining about it now. The _point_ is that I found you, I'm dry, and I have food, no matter how strange it may be. Where are your human friends anyway?"

"Oh! That's right, they need to know that you're here!" I said, jumping up to grab the phone bolted to the wall. "Dave and Rose live in the same apartment, just below me. Jade lives out a little ways, though." I explained as I dialed Dave's number first.

"Egbert it's eleven at night this better be fucking-"

"Karkat's here!" I cut him off, knowing that he'd go off on some long and supposedly ironic rant because he always went to bed so early.

"What. Like, the angry little troll from the game. Are you sure it's Karkat? What if it's some weirdo who likes dressing up?"

I rolled my eyes. "Dave, I think I could tell the difference between Karkat and some weirdo in a costume."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"You know what, whatever! What I'm saying is that he got separated from the rest of the trolls. They may or may not be somewhere on earth, but none of them are answering their Trollians." I said, resting the phone between my ear and shoulder as I cleaned up Karkat's bowl, rinsing it out in the sink. "I think you should come over. If not today then tomorrow, but I'm gonna call Jade. Can you tell Rose for me? She should still be up."

"Yeah okay. I'll be over in like two minutes, but you owe me for waking me up this fucking late."

"Okay." I grinned, pressing end before dialing the number for Jade.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jade! It's me, I just wanted to tell you that I found Karkat. Well actually he found me, but he's at my apartment now. The trolls got all separated and stuff and even he can't get a hold of them."

"Wow, really? Man we haven't seen them in years! Mind if I come over tomorrow to say hi? I was planning to stop by soon anyway." She asked.

"Sure, Dave is coming over tonight for a while but we should all hang out tomorrow. I wanted us to all hang out soon too, so we could do it then. And this time Karkat will be with us."

Jade laughed, her voice ringing through the phone. "That should be interesting! Okay, I have to get to bed soon though. I'm tired. See you tomorrow John!"

"Night sis!" I grinned, hanging up the phone and turning to Karkat only to find that he was nowhere to be seen. I looked around the living room, bathroom, and then lastly checked my bedroom. I smiled when I saw a large lump under the covers. "Karkat?"

"God why is your hive so cold? It's practically the same as outside." He growled, curling up further.

"Heat is expensive." I sighed. "I have more blankets in the closet if you need some, but Dave is coming over soon."

"And why exactly is that insufferable prick coming over?"

"To say hi!"

"Egbert… you're an idiot."

I frowned but left him be. The troll was probably tired, and who knows the last time he actually got a good nights sleep? Though he had said he hardly slept anyway, but still. Seconds later there was a knock on the door, a very grumpy looking Dave standing on the other side. His hair was ruffled and he hadn't bothered to change out of his pajamas.

"Where is the idiot?" he asked, pushing past me into the room.

"He might have fallen asleep." I said, but that didn't seem to faze him. Dave headed straight to the bedroom, throwing the door open. And then the yelling started. Well, Karkat was the only one yelling. It had started by screaming about knocking and privacy, and when Dave threw back his almost bored sounding remarks, it just got Karkat even angrier. I did my best to step in, but neither seemed to hear me. With a sigh I left them to battle it out and went for fresh cup of coffee. Lord knows I was going to need it.

Eventually the yelling ceased and Dave plopped down next to me on the couch, both arms hung loosely over the back. "He's asleep."

"What?"

"You heard me. I rocked the little baby to sleep. All the yelling snatched the energy right out of him and he passed out. I know what I'm doing." He said, the hint of a grin at the corner of his mouth.

"Wow. I wasn't really trying to force him or anything, but I guess that's good. I wonder was the last time he got a decent nights sleep."

"I'm going to be asking myself that same question soon."

"Can you two try to get along, at least? You might be seeing a _lot_ of each other for a while." I said, sipping at my coffee.

"That all depends on him. How did you find him anyway?" he asked, raising an eyebrow over his sunglasses. Isn't that horrible? He put his sunglasses on in the middle of the night just to come over to my apartment.

"I was cleaning up at the shop and he started banging on the door. He probably saw me while I was working or something. Anyway I thought he was just some creepy kid at first but then I saw his face and called me Egbert." I explained, stretching my head over the back of the couch.

"So what's the plan, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"How long is he staying? What are you going to do?" he clarified.

"Hm… well, however long he needs to. Or wants to, I guess. I know we should try to help look for the others, but we may have to wait a bit for that. And he'll have to wear a hood all the time, but even then with his gray skin and eyes he'll still stand out…"

"People tend to not really notice that stuff. Just keep him out of trouble." Dave shrugged.

"Yeah I guess you're right, but still." I sighed, slumping down and kicking my feet onto the coffee table.

"I should get going. Gotta get back to my beauty sleep." He grinned, standing up. "Hey Egbert, don't strain yourself."

"I'm fine, Dave." I assured him, smiling brightly to prove my point.

"No, no you aren't. Don't even play that shit with me." He said, wiping the smile right off my face. "You're working day and night, you hardly eat half of your food, and now you've got that fucking troll to take care of. Just… be careful." And with that the door slammed behind him, leaving me to stand in the living room.

I let out a sigh, ran my fingers through my hair, and went to check and make sure Karkat was really asleep. Leaving a note on the nightstand explaining that I was working and would be back at four if he woke up during the night, I put on my coat and shoes, stuffed my keys in my pocket, and left.

Okay, so maybe I did strain myself a bit, but I needed the extra money. Now before you get any suspicious ideas, it was a very modest job that I did at night. A 24 hour Walgreens about fifteen minutes away paid extra for anyone willing to work the early morning hours of midnight to four, and I had signed up immediately. The money added up, giving me just enough extra money to pay for food. The bookstore was wonderful and everything, but it didn't pay very much.

The store was quiet, two other people working and only one customer in the store at the moment. After signing myself in I took my place at the open register, yawning. It was going to be just another long night.

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><p><strong>Alright, there we have it. For those wondering, this is also posted on my Archive of Our Own account, which can also be found here - works/296721 for anyone who prefers to read there. The two will be updated simultaneously, so don't worry about being left out on either :P**

**Anyway, reviews would be great! Thanks everyone for reading and I'll do my best to update quickly.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh hay, this chapter is completely un-revised and I'm sorry that it's kind of short x.x but I hope you enjoy, and I promise things will get more exciting soon!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

My eyes opened slowly to sunlight streaming in through the windows, blinds pulled back and allowing the sun to warm the air. It was warmer than the day before, a few birds chirping outside. A loud bang made me jump off of the couch, shrugging off a blanket I didn't remember having on me. In fact, I hardly remembered why I chose to sleep on the couch in the first place.

"Ugh, I give up!"

I hurried into the kitchen, panicky and still groggy with sleep. "What the-" Oh. That's right; Karkat had come back with me. So it hadn't been a dream. "Um… what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm _trying_ to cook in your stupid nutrition block and none of your shit is cooperating." He growled, a menacing glare directed at the oven.

"Karkat, you didn't have to cook." I said through a yawn, starting up a fresh brew of coffee.

"You were sleeping forever, and I got hungry."

"Well I'm pretty much out of everything right now, but there's bread in the cupboard to your right, and butter and jam in the fridge. Oh and if you want to toast it, that's the white thing on the counter." I said, heading to my room to get dressed. My mind was sidetracked, however, when I glanced at my bed, a cocoon looking nest of blankets sitting atop it. I smiled tiredly and climbed in, nuzzling into the warmth, and it didn't take long for me to fall into a comfortable sleep.

"-so adorable, isn't he?" a familiar voice giggled as I gradually slid back into consciousness.

"A pain in the ass, if you ask me." Karkat grumbled.

I opened my eyes slowly to find Jade and Karkat standing in the doorway. "What time is it?" I mumbled, poking my head just barely above the blanket pod.

"It's already one in the afternoon, silly." Jade grinned, waving.

"Oh jeez, I'm sorry Jade." I frowned, rubbing my eyes and attempting to sit up. Sadly I didn't really have much room to move inside the makeshift cocoon, so sitting wasn't really an option. "And sorry for ruining your blanket thingy Karkat."

"Whatever." He grumbled, turning to leave.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, struggling to climb out of the blankets and keep it as in tact as possible.

"An hour, but Karkat kept me company until you woke up." She smiled, but it was short lived. "Are you still overworking yourself?"

"No Jade, I'm fine." I said, trying to find a change of clothes. I was still wearing my things from yesterday.

"John."

"Jade."

Jade sighed, crossing her arms. "There's practically nothing in your fridge. Once you get dressed we should go to the store and get you some _healthy_ food."

I rolled my eyes. "Jade I told you, I'm-"

"No arguing!" She hushed. "You're thin as a rail and those bags under your eyes are almost as bad as Karkat's."

"I fucking heard that!" A very angry troll yelled from the living room, making me laugh.

"But seriously, you're working way too hard to be healthy, and the others agree." She said. "Now get dressed and we'll leave when you're done."

"What about Karkat?" I asked, giving up trying to fight.

"He'll be fine. Put a hat on him and no one will even care to notice. If anything they'll think he has a skin disease." She waved a hand, leaving me to go to the living room.

I sighed, carrying a pair of jeans and a shirt into the bathroom so I could take a quick shower and get dressed. I brushed my teeth, staring into the mirror the entire time. Jade was right; I looked like crap. My hair was messed up more than usual and dark puffy circles stood out against my pale skin. With a frown I spit out the remainder of the toothpaste and splashed some cool water on my face, making sure to take a few breathes before going out to face the living.

"Are you ready to go?" Jade asked, interrupting her argument with Karkat about something or other when I appeared in the hallway.

"Yeah, we should hurry so Dave doesn't show up to find an empty room." I said, pulling on my shoes and the closest jacket I could find, which happened to be much thinner than my winter coat.

"Alright, Karkat are you coming?"

There was a pause, in which Karkat leaned his head back over the edge of the couch and stared at the ceiling for a second before pushing off and onto his feet. "Why the fuck not."

I grinned, linking arms with my sister and attempting to do the same with our newly reacquainted troll friend, only to have my hand slapped away immediately. The three of us made our way out of the apartment complex and into the chilly November air, found ourselves a taxi (I always say it's because Jade is too cute to turn down, because we always seem to get a taxi x10 faster when she's around) and started towards the nearest grocery store.

As was expected, the store was bustling and lively, people rushing around to find what they needed like their lives depended on it. Jade pulled me by my arm and over to the closest section we needed, holding a messy list in her free hand and a very determined look on her face. Karkat trudged along next to us, hands stuff deep in the pockets of one of my jackets, the hood pulled up over his hair and covering his horns, save for the slight bumps they made in the fabric. He was mumbling something about the cold as he looked around, and despite having been on Earth for a few years, seemed to be in slight awe at the things he saw around him.

In the middle of browsing through the fruits and vegetables, I nudged Jade in the arm. "Hey, later we should get Dave and Rose and we should all go walk around town for a while." I said quietly, Karkat preoccupied with all the different kinds of food in front of him. "I don't think Karkat's seen hardly anything despite being here for five years."

"You're right. Lets get this shopping done quickly, then." She smiled, placing a bag of different fruits into the cart before calling to Karkat that we were moving on. All together we spent two hours searching the store for the things that Jade _insisted_ we needed. Aka: a whole bunch of food that could feed a family of twelve for months. But no matter how many times I told her I didn't need half of this stuff, the answer always pretty much the same.

"You're too skinny! In like, the really unhealthy way. You need meat on your bones, and don't worry about the money because I'll pay for it." She would say, sticking her nose in the air. "And Karkat is going to make sure you eat healthy."

Karkat snapped his head in our direction, glaring at her. "Like hell I will. Don't drag me into your stupid fights."

Jade huffed, crossing her arms. "Well I'll just have Dave check up on you every day then."

"Jade, I'm eighteen. I can take care of myself! I've _been_ taking care of myself." I sighed, reluctantly pushing the cart towards the check out counter. "Besides, I can't let you pay for all my food. You don't have unlimited cash either, you know."

"I may not have a whole lot of extra money but I have enough to help out my brother. Plus it would be rude to force you to go out shopping for all of this without me paying. It was my idea after all. So shut up and start putting them on the register… conveyer belt thingy. Whatever it's called."

I didn't like it, but I knew there was no use. When Jade was set to do something, god damn it she was going to do it and lord help you if you got in her way. I glared at Karkat as I lined up the food on the register thingy, who was giving me a fang-filled grin that read 'she's totally got you whipped'. Darn it she was my older sister, what was I supposed to do? Reject her love and let her continue to worry?

So we paid for the mass of groceries, Jade paying 2/3 of it since I refused to let her pay for all of it. I grimaced at the receipt the entire taxi ride home, a whopping $164.32. Never before had I spent so much money on food.

Jade snatched the receipt out of my hand and crumpled it up. "Stop staring at it like it's the plague, Jesus. Now cheer up, we get to have a fun day out on the town!"

"What? No fuck that, I'm staying inside." Karkat growled, curled up next to me in my hoodie. "Your planet is freezing as… as… fuck I don't know, you get the point! I'm not going outside again until your warm season. Please for the love of god tell me you have a warm season here. The last place I was it was freezing for what felt like all year. Or at least that's what they told me."

I pat his shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry, summer and spring are really warm. Uh… where _were_ you last?"

"Like I fucking know. It was freezing and there was hardly any civilization. I left within days."

"Well you're going to have to wait a few more months. It's only November now. In fact, it's going to get colder soon. Sorry Karkat." Jade smiled, shuffling through her wallet and giving the correct amount of money to the taxi driver. Karkat let out a string of curses to the cold the entire way upstairs.

We set the bags of groceries on the counter, Jade helping me sort out what went in what shelf and what went in the fridge while Karkat retreated to the bedroom, probably to curl up in the numerous amounts of blankets piled atop my bed.

A knock on the door a few minutes later signaled Dave and Rose's arrival, the four – er, _five_ – of us finally together again. Jade and Dave were off and talking right away, the two mingling in the open kitchen while Rose and I stood near the door. After the greetings and updates, I excused myself to try and lure Karkat out of the room to join us.

I rolled my eyes when I pushed on the door to find something blocking it. "Karkat, come on. Open the door."

"No."

"But it'll be fun! You'll get to see all the wonders of Boulder." I said, grinning. I pushed on the door, trying to nudge whatever he had blocking the door out of the way.

"Hell no! I already said I'm staying in here and you aren't getting me to come out." He hissed, voice muffled. He was probably curled up in all those blankets again.

"Karkat, you're acting like a baby. It wont be for that long, and once you're having fun you'll totally forget that it's cold outside! I promise. We're gonna go downtown, and get dinner at this really sweet restaurant, and you can see the college that Rose goes to, and so much more."

There was shuffling on the other side of the door, and something sliding out of the way before the door creaked open. "This better be fucking worth it." He said, inching out of the room.

"Don't worry, we'll all have fun. I promise." I grinned, leading him to the rest of the group. Once Rose and Karkat got through their quick greeting, we dawned our jackets and started for Rose's car. It was slightly cramped in the silver Nisan Versa, with Jade, Karkat, and I elbow to elbow in the back seat and Rose and Dave in the front, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. I was just glad to finally not have to ride in a smelly, nasty taxi and keep twenty dollars in my pocket.

It didn't take very long for us to get downtown from the apartment, but those fifteen minutes were extremely loud. Everyone was arguing about the music, Dave obviously wanting something that was ironic, Jade wanting techno, and of course Karkat wanted everyone to shut the hell up and turn it off. Rose and I were silent, though I could tell she was hoping they would turn it off, and I was leaning more towards alternative. After a few minutes Rose had enough of the fighting and turned off the radio. Karkat and I let out a simultaneous sigh a relief.

Once we had found a place to park we were out of the car, Karkat quickly wrapping a scarf around his neck and tugging the hat down over his ears with his gloved hands. I couldn't really blame him, Boulder got pretty bad sometimes. We've had snow as early as October before! And Alternia did have a very close sun, if I remembered correctly.

"Lead the way, John." Rose said, locking the car door. "It was your idea, after all."

"Okay." I nodded, looking around for a good place to go. There was always so much to do downtown, and it was still a bit too early to eat. "How about we just walk around for now? You know, go to any store that looks fun! Then at five or six we should go get food somewhere." I said, looking to the others for approval.

"Sounds good. Lets get walking." Dave said, turning in a random direction before motioning us to move forward. For the next hour and a half we walked up and down the few main streets of downtown, talking about anything and everything while stopping each other when one of us found a store that we wanted to check out. Karkat fit in nicely to our group, mostly arguing with Dave and thankfully taking Jade's attention away from me every time I refused to let her buy me something she caught me staring more than a few seconds at. It wasn't that I couldn't buy those things; I had brought a modest sum of money with me knowing that we would be shopping, but I had just grown so used to not spending it that it felt strange to buy anything that wasn't necessary for me to survive. I did, however, fully intend of paying for dinner. I wasn't about to invite my friends out and then make them pay for their food. My father had taught me to be a better gentleman than that, thank you very much.

It was at five fifty that we settled down at a local bar and grill, making sure to be as far from the bar as possible. Not to look suspicious, just that strange people sat around there sometimes. You can never be too cautious of drunken people watching a sports game. We talked amongst ourselves while we waited to be ordered and then some more while we waited for our food, the conversations becoming more of just small talk than important information once everything had been shared. Dave and I talked about a new game that was coming out, Jade and Karkat argued about something or other, occasionally pulling Rose into it as well.

Over all the night had been a blast. I couldn't remember the last time we had all gotten together as a group; there was always at least one person who couldn't make it, but we were finally all together, and now we even had Karkat with us. I smiled the entire ride home, all the way up to when everyone waved goodbye as we parted ways, save for Karkat and me.

"Did you have fun?" I asked, kicking my shoes and jacket off once we had finally gotten inside.

Karkat scoffed, but he wasn't frowning like he usually was. In fact I could have sworn there was a bit of a smile on his face. "I guess you aren't as intolerable as you were during the game."

"Gee, thanks." I grinned, going to the closet to pull out some extra blankets and a pillow to set up in the living room for myself. I had never thought to save the two twin beds we had gotten once Dave moved out, trading them in for a full instead. Now that Karkat was here I was going to have to reverse that deal, or sleep on the sofa for the rest of his time here.

With a sigh I fluffed out the pillow and took a seat over the folded blankets I had made into a makeshift sleeping bag, and although it wasn't as comfortable as Karkat's blanket-cocoon or my normal bed, I would be able to live with it. Not a word was said as he sat in the recliner and flipped through channels, and after dozing off for a few hours I was surprised to see him still awake despite the time.

"Where are you going?" he asked, glancing up as I pulled on my shoes and did my best to pat down my hair.

"Night job." I explained, giving him a toothy grin, but it felt much too forced to act so carefree while my mind was still foggy from sleep. "I'll be back at four, get some sleep." I called, closing the door behind me.

The store was much more empty than last time, only one other person working beside myself. I spent the time that there were no late customers to clean up a bit. Why were convenience stores so nasty all the time? I was no germ freak but places like Wallgreens and Target could get pretty disgusting.

An older man came into the store around three in the morning, bought a pack of chewing gum and some beer, and was out the door. I sighed, tapping my chewed off nails against the glass counter. Maybe they were right, maybe I was pushing myself too hard. Would it be that bad to drop my night job? It was mostly just to get extra money, and if I cut back on using the TV so much then maybe it wouldn't affect things too badly. But if my paycheck suddenly got docked again at the bookstore then I'd be in deep trouble without this to back me up.

I let out a huff before standing up straight as an older woman walked into the store, cigarette in hand and phone to her ear. Man I hated that. Couldn't people be more polite and put their cigarette out in front of the shop? That's what we had those little trashcan top things for. Well, sort of.

Talking into her cell phone the entire time and puffing smoke around the store, she bought a fresh pack of those horrible cancer sticks and some other random items like lip gloss and one of those double-shot espresso cans. She didn't even bother to get off the phone or put her cigarette down as she bought her things, instead blowing the smoke in my face when she handed me the correct amount of money.

I smiled, handed her the change, and said have a nice night. I could have sworn I heard her telling whoever was on the other line that 'the nerdy cashier was glaring at her like some sort of freak'.

At four thirty I slumped up the stairs of the apartment building and didn't even say hello to Karkat, who was still sitting curled up on the recliner with a blanket around his legs, before I fell face first into the pillow.

"John." I didn't answer. I wasn't even completely sure if it was a dream Karkat or the real thing speaking. "Egbert, get up." He let out a sigh, the sound seeming muffled and far away. The arms pulling me up and then dragging me down the hall didn't seem completely there, but the warmth was very inviting. I felt myself fall onto something soft and cushiony, but that warmth was going away. Without thinking I latched onto it, pulling the warmth of whatever it was, body or pillow or blanket, and for a while it struggled back, but eventually I felt that same soothing warmth wash over my forehead, moving over it in comforting strokes, and I managed to fall asleep quickly.

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><p><strong>I have nothing really to say here besides winter break is over and I'm back to school, but hopefully it won't take out of my writing time. I'll do my best to update soon!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Aaahhh hey guys! Sorry for the slow update, I was a little stumped on this one! Hopefully things will come out faster as the story progresses, but lets not jinx it :P Well here's chapter three, sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors that may be in there. I'm not good at noticing them until later. Sometimes MUCH later.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

I woke slowly, the rise and fall of my pillow practically begging me to stay there forever. I was surrounded by warmth, and sure my legs were a little sweaty but it wasn't unbearable, and definitely a welcome change from the constant chill of my apartment. I smiled, burying my face into the soft fabric, and froze.

Pillows do not move.

Pillows do not create heat (unless otherwise manufactured to do so, which mine is not).

And pillows most certainly _do not hug you back_.

"Karkat!" I yelped, jumping up when I realized that I had fallen asleep on his stomach, clinging onto his midsection. He had a hand on my forehead and his eyebrows scrunched together as he slowly woke up as well.

"Jegus you're so loud." He grumbled, keeping his eyes shut. "What do you want?"

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't meant to fall asleep on you…" I looked around the room, trying to figure out what time it was. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows, meaning I was definitely late for work. Crap. My eyes landed on the alarm clock near my bed, and although my vision was blurred without my glasses, I could still read the bright red 11:34 on the clock. I was two and a half hours late for work.

I leapt out of bed, figuring if I left now I could maybe have Rose cover for me if she was working or not, but something stopped me. Letting out a yelp, I was yanked back by my arm, twisting it slightly. "Ow! What the heck, Karkat, I have to go to work!"

"It's one day, John." He said, his hand tightening around my wrist.

"Yes and that's a whole ten ours out of my paycheck! Come on, please let go. I need to get back before lunch."

"What time is lunch?'

I raised an eyebrow. "Noon, for an hour."

"Then no. Get your ass in bed and get some sleep-" he held up a finger when I tried to protest, glaring at me. "-then once your lunch time is over, _maybe_ you can go back to work."

"It's a job, Karkat. I can't just decide when I show up. I'm supposed to call in sick or ask for a vacation if I want to do that."

"By the time you get there it will be your break anyway. No matter how much it absolutely pains me to admit it, your friends are right. Even after just a day I can tell you're working way too fucking hard for someone your age. And I'm not even from this stupid planet." He said, tugging on my arm to pull me back down.

I sighed at that, pulling the blanket farther over both of us. There was no point in arguing with him, he was just as stubborn as Jade. Knowing that, he'd probably tie me up if I tried to refuse anymore. He didn't move from his spot next to me like I thought he would. Instead he wrapped an arm around my neck, running his fingers through my hair, and if it the situation had been different I would have complained about how gay it was, but the point remained that I was tired and he was comfortable.

"What have you been doing?" I asked after a long moment of silence.

"Shut up and sleep."

"I'm working on it." I yawned. "But come on, answer me."

He sighed, twisting the curl of my bangs that defied the rest of my hair and shot out to the right instead of the left. "What do you mean?"

"Like… for the past five years? That's a long time to be wandering on your own."

"I guess." He shrugged, and the softness in his voice was a nice change compared to the constant yelling. "I tried to find the other trolls first, but I couldn't get a hold of them on Pesterchum. So I spent a while searching. Honestly I didn't even know how fucking long I wasted looking for you and the others until I found you. It could have been less or more for all I know."

"Hm… However long it was, I missed you guys." I breathed, my eyelids too heavy to open them anymore.

"Yeah."

It didn't take long for me to fall back asleep after that, the dreams that followed short and very confusing. There were no longer dream bubbles. No Skaia or Prospit or Derse; just dreams and, unfortunately, nightmares.

I had gotten used to them when I was living with the others, but with them gone I had decided it best to sleep as little as possible. Only when I was nearly passing out from exhaustion did I sleep without dreams. I figured it was better than waking up constantly throughout the night, my pillow damp from tears and covered in sweat, throat hoarse. Maybe that was a little exaggerated. It wasn't _all_ the time, and I hardly ever allowed myself to cry, but it was often enough to feel that way.

I wasn't sure how long I was out, but when I woke up it was obvious that it was well into the afternoon. Karkat – based on the noise coming from the TV – was in the living room. I let out a sigh and climbed out of bed to head to the bathroom. There was no use getting to work now with only a few hours left, and I doubted Karkat would let me leave anyway. So, finally defeated, I splashed some water on my face and did my best to fix the worst case of bed head I had ever encountered before trudging into the living room.

"So," I started, taking a seat next to the troll. "What are we watching?"

"Hell if I know, some stupid human show." He said, rolling his eyes and remote held firmly in his hand.

I nodded, taking the next few moments to figure out what exactly he was watching. Thankfully it was the end of the commercial break, saving me the trouble of having to figure out the name of the show. "You're watching MTV?" oh god, that was not good. The only time I had MTV on was early in the morning when they still played awesome 80's music videos. There were no shows on that channel that seemed to have any purpose what so ever to me.

"Oh god. Of all the channels to choose from why did it have to be _this_?" I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. He glared, ready to stand up for the horrible shows but I waved my hand and retreated to the kitchen. I was in desperate need of some coffee, and to get away from the TV.

I had gotten so used to staying up over the years that sleeping too much gave me a headache. I almost felt even more drained than before I went to bed. Once the coffee beans were grinded and the pot was heating it up I drummed my fingers against the counter, tapping out one of the countless songs I had remembered over the years, and frowned. It had been years since I was able to play the piano. I brought out my over hand, closed my eyes, and imagined the keys in front of me. The TV droned on in the background but I did my best to ignore it, focusing on how the notes would sound if I were actually hitting them. With the tune playing in my head I pressed my fingers lightly against the cool marble, humming the tune quietly.

"I feel like I've heard that before."

"Karkat!" I yelped, spinning around to see him standing in the doorway. "Don't _do_ that!"

"Jegus I'm sorry I didn't know you were such a pansy-ass." He growled, making his way over to examine the beeping coffee machine. "What song were you 'playing' anyway?" he asked, leaving the coffee pot to search for some food in the fridge.

"Showtime." I sighed, pulling out my #1 Pal-Honcho mug Dave had gotten me as a Christmas present the year before. "It was my favorite one to play when I was younger…"

"That's right." He said, biting into an apple. "I saw you playing it at the beginning of your session and then way back when you were a kid."

"Yeah." I poured the now full container of steaming coffee into my mug before reaching under Karkat's arm to get the milk and creamer. He raised an eyebrow and moved out of the way slightly.

"The hell are you making, anyway?"

I scoffed a bit at that, pouring one in after the other and swirling it together to make a creamy colored delicious drink. I remembered reading somewhere that the color of a coffee mixture sort of like mine was what the universe looked like with all spectrums of light visible, but wasn't quite sure where. There were also kittens. I'd have to look that up again. "What, you've never had coffee? Not even troll coffee?"

"If we have it I sure as hell haven't tried it." He said, peering over my shoulder.

I took out a second mug, this one in the shape of a Tardis – also courtesy of Dave – and poured it half full. Part of me wondered if he was actually serious about always telling me to stop drinking so much coffee when he kept getting me such awesome mugs. "I usually put a lot of creamer in mine, and milk, but you can put as little or much as you want. Its kind of just depends on how you like your coffee."

"John, just make it the way you do and let me fucking try it already."

"Alright, jeez! I just make mine differently, is all." I said as I mixed together relatively the same amount of creamer and milk in his as I did in mine. "You might want to wait for it to cool down, its kind of really-" he chugged it down in an instant, seeming unfazed even though it had only just come out of the pot seconds ago. "…hot."

Karkat made a face, his eyebrows pressing together and a deep frown settling across his features. "That shit is gross."

"Well, it keeps me awake." I shrugged, taking a small sip of mine. Yeah, no, okay, that was way too hot. "Did you eat while I was asleep or do you want me to make you something?"

"I'm fine, John." He said, rolling his eyes. "If anything you're the one who needs to eat. Seriously, I thought you were skinny when you were thirteen. You look like a fucking twig."

"Karkaaaat." I groaned. "Can we please not argue about my health right now?"

"You think this is an argument? I mean, I have no problem turning it into an argument, John, believe me – but you haven't even come close. This is the cold, hard truth."

I ran a hand over my face. "You know what I mean, Karkat! I mean come on, all I've heard about for the past like, week is John this, John that, oh I hope John is feeling alright, John you look a little pale are you alright? It's getting pretty annoying! I can handle myself!"

Something in Karkat's eyes snapped. His jaw clenched, fists turning white. "At least you have people that care about you! Jegus how hard is it for you to realize that there isn't a single person you're friends with that doesn't pity the ever loving fuck out of you; red, pale, or however your stupid human emotions work! I've been here for maybe one or two days now and even I can see it, John! Fuck _I_ even feel it!"

"Karkat, I-"

"No, John, shut up! Because you don't seem to understand jack shit, so let me enlighten you. Jade and Dave and Rose? They _care_ about you. Gog damn it, _I_ care about you. You're skin and bones, you aren't sleeping, you work yourself way too fucking hard, hell you look like a zombie or some shit. Then you go and refuse any help they offer you're way. Well here's a few words of advice, John – _fucking accept it already_. Because refusing help is like a red neon light beeping and flashing saying 'this idiot right here has hit rock bottom'. And even though you feel like your dignity is at stake or whatever is fucking keeping you from letting them help you, is going to be the end of you."

There was a long silence as I took in Karkat's words, playing them over and over in my head. I didn't want anyone to worry. I didn't want to bug them with my problems when, even if it wasn't obvious, they were all going through problems of their own. Yet, of course, they all saw through me and ended up worry more simply because I didn't let them help me. "…I'm sorry."

"Shit, John, look I didn't mean to yell-"

I shook my head lightly. "No, you're right. I just… I guess I didn't realize that my trying not to make them worry was only making them worry even more. So I guess… thanks?"

He nodded ever so slightly, the movement almost unnoticeable.

"It's just been kind of… hard. Really hard, actually. I mean for everyone. The game just kind of… spit us out with nothing to go back to. The time hadn't past, sure, but everyone that had died just… weren't there. I was hoping that in the end it would save them. That… that dad would be okay, you know?" I pressed the palm of my hand against my eye and leaned against the counter, sniffling. "And we had to go into foster care all through high school. There- there were some pretty fucked up people they let take us home, Karkat. Though it wasn't all of us, after the first time… they split us up- of course they would. Who would want to take in four teenagers? I don't know what happened with the others. If anything bad happened to them they sure haven't told me about it, but then again I haven't told them…" I let out a shaky breath and before I knew I had slid down to sit on the floor, Karkat hurrying next to me. I curled my knees to my chest, resting my chin on them. "Sorry, I didn't mean to start crying." I whispered, voice breaking, both hands pressed firmly against my eyes. I couldn't cry – I wasn't _supposed_ to cry. I couldn't let anyone know how horrible the past few years had been.

I felt his hand on my shoulder, making me flinch. "John, fuck, you don't have to- look I told you that we're all trying to help you. That kind of includes me. If talking it out is what you need to do then I'll shut my mouth and listen."

I nodded, taking a few uneven breaths. "I don't… I don't think I can tell you everything right now. Not only would it take probably a long time, but I just… I'm not ready for that. Some of the things that have happened just… I've got to come to terms with it myself, you know? But… I will talk to you. And everyone else – I'll talk to them about things too, and I won't turn them down for a little help now and then…"

"Good. Yeah, alright- we're off to a good start." He said, his knee bumping against mine. There was a pause, neither of us really sure what to say. I kept my face hidden, eyes red and puffy and my nose stuffed. "John." His voice had gone from concerned to slightly annoyed. "John, take your hands off of your eyes."

"No way! I've just been crying; I look all nasty."

"John you really think I give a flying fuck how you look right now?" he growled, prying at my fingers. I did my best to keep my face hidden, but it wasn't really any use fighting. Even if I had grown stronger, Karkat was even more so. With a defeated huff I let him pull my hands away, averting my gaze.

"You'd think I was dealing with a grub here." He mumbled. "Just _look at me already._"

I did as I was told, a little startled by how stern he sounded. Not so much angry and pushy as it was a heartfelt command, but that wasn't quite right. I couldn't really explain it, but it was definitely different from the usual tone to his voice. The whites of his eyes were yellow, the irises a dark red. And there was something in his eyes too, something I couldn't really place, but I knew he was dead serious.

"Listen. No matter what the hell happened to you in between the game and now, will not change in the_ slightest _how I feel about you. You got that, Egbert?"

"And… how exactly do you feel about me?"

Karkat stood suddenly and turned away. "We already talked about that, right? Go clean up, you do kind of look like shit right now. And would you eat a whole meal or something for a change?"

I sat for a moment in confusion, but chose to brush it off. This was Karkat, probably the worst to talk about feelings with (no offense, but it's true!). I rubbed the last of the drying tears from my cheeks and downed half of my now lukewarm coffee. Gross.

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><p>I tapped my fingers to the song playing in my head against the counter and watched for customers ready to buy. I nearly jumped over the counter when Rose walked in, but decided to wait until she had gotten behind the counter and hung her coat on the rack. "Morning Rose!"<p>

"Afternoon, John." She nodded, fixing her skirt. "I'm assuming from your cheerful mood and absence yesterday Karkat finally got you to catch up on some sleep?"

"Heh, yeah, I didn't wake up till like eleven and then he refused to let me leave, so we kind of just hung out and talked a bit." I scratched the back of my neck nervously. "Actually, he's here! Well, he might still be here. Said he was tired of sitting around the apartment all day so he tagged along. Last I saw he was wandering around somewhere in the fantasy section."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "You brought him to work with you?"

"Well, yeah. Should I not have?"

"No, it's fine. I'm just a little… curious, is all." The corner of her mouth twitched upward, the telltale signs that her mind was reeling.

"Oh no, Rose please do not over-analyze this." I groaned. "Really, why is it so weird to bring him to bookstore? Jeez!"

"It's not just that, though." She said. "It may not be noticeable to you, but you've definitely changed since he showed up. You're much happier, more laidback. It's something we haven't seen in you for a while."

"A long time." I sighed. "Look just… don't get any weird ideas, okay? I don't need you making things awkward."

"My lips are sealed unless I find it necessary to open them." she grinned, and with that she left to get to work. I slumped against the counter. Great, she definitely had something planned. All I had to do was figure out what…

A loud crash jolted me out of my moping, and a string of curses from an isle in the back made me groan. Minutes later Rose was leading a very pissed off looking Karkat to the front desk. "Oh no, what happened?"

"Some stupid-"

Rose cut him off with a stern glare. "Karkat bumped into someone and spilled coffee on them both, knocking over a bookshelf as well." She explained. "Keep him with you for a while, wont you? I have an angry customer and a mess to attend to."

"Need any help?" I asked, but she shook her head.

"Just keep him out of trouble while I clean this up."

Once she left, I turned to the grumbling troll now behind me. "Did you get any coffee on you?"

"No, thank gog. But that stupid fucker threw a bitch-fit about spilling it on them."

"Well jeez, Karkat, it was hot coffee! I guess trolls are tougher than us but that probably hurt! Besides, you should have apologized for running into them." I sighed, shushing him just as he was about to respond when a customer appeared at the front counter. I flashed a bright smile. "Good afternoon! Did you find everything alright?"

"I did, thanks!" a girl, presumably a college student, with light brown braids and a thick winter coat smiled back.

"Great, and do you have a store card or anything?"

"Yup, I've got it right here." She said, digging through her wallet for a moment before pulling out one of the green and white member cards.

"Cool." I grinned, swiping the card and pulling up the information on the computer. "Laura?"

"That's me!"

"Alright, that'll be twelve dollars and thirty two cents." After placing the money into the register and handing back the change as well as a plastic bag with her book and receipt, I flashed another smile and waved as she started walking away. "Have a nice day!"

"Oh you too!" she waved back, exiting the store and into the cold.

"Well that was sickeningly sweet." Karkat grumbled, leaning against the back shelf, arms crossed and hood up.

"What, I'm supposed to be nice to customers!"

"A little over the top, don't you think?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

Karkat sighed, taking one of the books off the shelf without even looking to see what it was. "Egbert, you're an idiot."

"Hey, that book is on hold! Don't mess with it!" I scolded, snatching the book away and placing it back in its rightful place on the shelf. "If you want to read something go grab one of the books on the shelves over there or something."

He rolled his eyes but otherwise didn't argue and left for the closest shelf, which happened to be science fiction. While he roamed back and forth looking for something that caught his eye, I tended to a few more customers, and noticed one had a coffee stain on their shirt. I offered a discount on their book and apologized for my friend, saying he was a foreign exchange student and didn't know how to react with strangers very well. I got a big old stink eye from Karkat for the next twenty minutes after that. Oops, he wasn't supposed to hear.

Once eight rolled by I decided that Karkat was getting antsy enough that it would probably be in my best interest not to stay late that night to clean up and instead splurged a little more and got us dinner at a local restaurant, which was luckily pretty cheep for how good the food was. He didn't seem to mind that, and instead lightened up from his grumpy attitude a bit and to my surprise looked like he was actually having fun. I told him a few stories of the happier side of the past five years, such as certain moments during high school and teachers that I liked, as well as a foster family that was particularly nice to me. That is, of course, after explaining to him what exactly foster care and adoption were.

We got home around nine thirty, and I managed to get in a decent nap before having to wake up at midnight for my night shift. I could tell Karkat was angry that I still insisted on working both daylight and nighttime hours, but it needed to be done if I was going to be paying for two people now instead of just myself. The hours ticked by slowly, but I wasn't as tired this time and found the night more enjoyable. It was actually really peaceful to be out at night, though I could have done without an old man coughing all over me at the register.

Karkat wasn't in the living room when I stepped in at four that morning. The TV was off and the entire room was dark, but after peaking in my room I found him sleeping on my bed and relaxed a little. Of course he wouldn't just up and leave like that, not after what had happened. I kicked off my shoes and fell onto the couch, snuggled up in the blanket, and closed my eyes.

Nothing.

I flipped over onto my side, then onto my other side, and then my back. I was tired, so why couldn't I sleep? My mind flashed back to the morning before, waking up calm and warm instead of cold and (occasionally) unsettled. It took me a good ten minutes to decide that if I wanted sleep, it sure as hell wasn't going to come to me on the couch. So as quietly as possible I tiptoed into my room and pulled the blankets back, being as careful as I could not to wake Karkat.

I had made it into the bed and just got the covers over me when he stirred. I froze, looked up as he rubbed his eyes, and gulped. "John..? The hell- what are you doing?" he asked, voice groggy from sleep.

"Um. Well, haha… it's kind of cold, so… I…" Oh who was I kidding? There was no excuse. No matter what I said the point still remained; I wanted to snuggle with Karkat.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." He yawned, adjusting so that there was more room for the both of us. "Just get some sleep…"

I laid my head down next to his, moving as close as possible without touching him, and couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Part of me was hoping that he would pull me close again, completely wrap me up in warmth and-

Wait. What?

I shook the thought away and closed my eyes. Sleep, that's what I needed, not to be hung up about what exactly just played out in my mind for two seconds. Besides, it was probably nothing.

Yeah, right.

* * *

><p><strong>Kay, there you go! I really didn't mean to give John a really bad past, I swear ._. It just kind of... happened. So yeah. More on that issue later! In the mean time, please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!<strong>


	4. Author's Note Reason for Hiatus

**Hello there! Now, before you all kill me for making you think that this is an update, let me explain! First of all, because I have like five stories out, this is posted on all of them. Okay, so about a week ago, on Saturday night around 12:00, I was chillin on my laptop like I do every night (because obviously I don't have a life outside of the internet) and I ejected my flashdrive to charge my iPod and phone. Well, later that night, I plugged my flashdrive back in. Nothing happened. I tried it again, nothing happened. And still today, _NOTHING HAS HAPPENED_. Guess what was on my flashdrive? All of my stories and art and pictures and any other random crap I had saved on there. It's gone. Goodbye. Because of course, being the lazy-ass idjit that I am, I never saved backup files. So, while I was already behind in updating my stories to begin with (Oh god my Kingdom Hearts readers I am SO SORRY), it's going to take me a few weeks (maybe months) to get things back in gear. I'm not quitting any of my stories (at least I hope I wont), I just wanted you all to know why exactly I haven't, and probably won't be, updating for a while. Thank you for your patience and for putting up with me ;-; I'll do my best to get over myself and rewrite all those chapters I was about halfway through at the time. In the mean time, happy reading 3**

**-Abby**


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